Supercycle

A supercycle is an unusually long period—often 10+ years—when demand for a commodity or sector stays consistently high, driving prices and profits upward. You'll hear this term when analysts discuss commodities like oil, copper, or lithium, or entire industries like semiconductors. It matters because supercycles can create sustained wealth for investors, but they eventually end, sometimes suddenly. For example, if a tech boom drives chip demand for a decade straight, semiconductor companies might enjoy a supercycle—but when demand finally cools, unprepared investors can get hurt. The key insight: supercycles feel permanent while they're happening, but they're not.